Watching for Ghosts
by aznillusion183
Summary: Sanji definitely isn't afraid. ZoroxSanji. One-shot for sentimentalreality.


A/N: One-shot for sentimentalreality! I was planning on writing a more humorous one—goofier and stuff—but it ended up being a bit fluffier than I expected. It's still quite random and weird, but it was fun to write.

Zoro x Sanji, as usual. Enjoy!

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The sky was dark; no moon was present at this time of month, and the clouds obscured any patch of light that might have shown through even if it had been a full moon. The waves gently rocked the Thousand Sunny and the ship creaked; any ship, regardless of its make or sturdiness, groaned when the waves prodded it. It was a fact of seafaring life (because no ship that Franky made would ever be anything but strong and sound) that Sanji had long become accustomed to. The ship's complaints were just background sounds most of the time that was drowned out by the yells of the crew or the boom of cannon fire.

But when the ship was empty and everyone was sleeping while he was scheduled to be on watch, the night did strange things to normally friendly atmospheres.

"It's just the night, Sanji. Just like any other night," Sanji groaned to himself, cracking his neck as he left the galley. He had finally finished cleaning the dining area after an especially rowdy dinner, and now he had a long watch ahead of him. Sanji didn't relish the prospect of staying up for half the night (there had been a Marine attack today, too) but was determined not to fail his precious Nami-san's watch schedule. He nodded to a sleepy Usopp that he was relieving for watch duty and climbed up to the crow's nest. It was dark inside, but he didn't bother to light a candle—it would only make it harder to see past the glass. Sanji chuckled when he saw small dumbbells next to the couch and knew that Usopp must have been using them to stay awake and train simultaneously. Zoro wouldn't even use such tiny things to exercise his toes.

"Just another dark night," Sanji muttered. "Just because there's no moon doesn't mean _anything._ Don't think about bad things. Superstitions are just stupid. Don't let it get to you. There are no such things as ghosts when Perona isn't around."

The ship groaned again, and Sanji couldn't help but think that it sounded like the wails of a moaning banshee. He shivered. It was cold, after all. He wasn't scared, oh no, not him.

"Pull yourself together, man! There aren't any ghosts!"

Evidently, Sanji wasn't at peace with the night or with ghosts after the events that had happened at Thriller Bark.

But when the ship rocked a wee bit more violently than usual, and creaked a tad bit more spookily than was acceptable, Sanji stumbled onto the couch and grabbed the blanket to wrap around his body protectively.

At least, that's what he tried to do.

"Ooohhh," a deep voice grumbled in complaint as Sanji landed heavily on the couch. "Whooo…?"

Sanji stifled a shriek and leapt off the couch. "What the hell?!"

Wait.

If there were no such things as ghosts, then there definitely weren't _green-haired_ ghosts either.

Sanji relaxed slightly, although his heart was still thumping hard against his ribcage. He crept over to the swordsman (who had fallen asleep again) and peeked over the edge of the armrest at his sleeping face.

"Even when you're sleeping, you're still frowning," Sanji muttered under his breath.

If even Black Leg Sanji was uneasy with keeping watch up here, then it was no wonder that Usopp had (presumably) asked Zoro to keep him company—protect him, more like it—during his watch.

Well, Sanji sure as hell wasn't going to depend on a sleeping swordsman when there were ghosts. Weren't ghosts.

The ship creaked again. Sanji swore that the Thousand Sunny was mocking him.

The Going Merry had always been a kinder ship. This one was like Zoro; powerful and big, but with a sadistic side.

"Oi. Wake up." A long, slim finger moved to poke Zoro in the cheek.

"Shut up, longnose, or I'll kill you," Zoro grumbled as he turned over.

"Wake up. Wakey-wakey. Rise and shine!"

"I _said_, I'll kill you!" Zoro shouted, reaching out to grab a long nose that wasn't there. "Buh?"

"You sound so intelligent. Scoot over," Sanji scoffed. He pushed Zoro to a half-sitting, half-reclined position on the couch. "I'm sitting here, got it?"

No answer. Zoro was already nodding off, and a small bubble was forming from his nose as he snored lustily.

"LISTEN WHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO YOU!" Sanji roared, shaking Zoro violently. "I said I'm sitting here, got it? You got a problem with that?!"

"Damnit, cook, I don't care! Just let me sleep!" Zoro shouted back.

Sanji looked at Zoro's irritated face.

"I'm keeping watch here, okay?" Sanji said gently, more suggestively.

Zoro stared. Was Sanji stupid, or something?

He already knew the answer to that. But it was merely a rhetorical question. What he really meant to ask was, _What is this guy trying to say?_

Sanji looked out the window, not waiting for an answer. "I'm…going to stay here with you," he murmured. "So don't fall asleep."

"Um…" Zoro felt like the meaning behind those words was more significant than they appeared, and he yelled at his brain to work harder. Maybe he needed weights to train his brain.

Maybe he was really sleepy and was thinking nonsense. Who thinks of weight-training for the brain?

"Cover!" Sanji pulled the sheet from Zoro's lap and over his head.

Zoro looked at Sanji quizzically. "Seriously, I never expected that." He shivered in the cold air. "Brrr…give me some of the blanket, crap-cook."

"…No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes, damnit!" Zoro grabbed the blanket and pulled. Sanji held on to his security blanket for dear life.

_Rip._

"Nami's going to kill us for ripping another blanket, you know."

"Add it to your debt, then."

"Hell, no! Why must you insist on keeping watch _here,_ on _this sofa_, when there's another one right there?" Zoro demanded. "There's even another blanket! Look!"

"You go get it, then," Sanji replied, sticking out his lower lip stubbornly.

"I swear, you are the most stubborn, immature…" Zoro stood. "Screw it. I'm going back to my hammock. I was only here because Usopp was being a coward—something about ghosts."

Sanji stood in alarm. "Wait! Don't go!"

"Hn?"

Sanji flushed. "I-I mean…"

"You act like you want me to go, but now you tell me to stay?"

"…"

A lightbulb flickered on in Zoro's brain, and realization dawned upon him. "Oooh." He grinned.

"What do you mean, 'oooh?'" Sanji snapped, dread washing over him.

"I get it now. You're afraid of ghosts too, aren't you, Sanji-chan?"

"Of course I'm not afraid of ghosts, you marimo! W-why would I be afraid?" Sanji paused. "And don't call me Sanji-chan!"

"I'll just be going, then…" Zoro pretended to leave again.

"No!" Sanji reached out and grabbed Zoro, pulling him back. One of them—both preferred to think it was the other—tripped and fell onto the couch in a tangle of angry limbs. "Oof!" Sanji looked up and saw Zoro's annoyed face as the larger man lay on top of him and rolled quickly to reverse the position.

"Can you get off of me? I don't want anyone to walk in and get the wrong impression," Zoro grumbled. "I also don't want an ero-cook like you on top of me. You might take advantage of my youthful innocence."

"'Youthful innocence?' Pah."

Sanji huffed a sigh and placed his forehead wearily on Zoro's chest. He was tired from working all day, damnit. He couldn't deal with this tiring marimo right now. The ocean winked at him from outside, and Sanji realized that he had a good view of the surrounding waters like this. The waves rocked the ship gently, like a mother rocking the crib of her child. A child that was armed with a Gaou cannon.

The Thousand Sunny really _was_ like Zoro. Protective, with all sorts of nifty weapons and skills, and powerful as hell.

So if he was riding the Thousand Sunny, was it like he was riding Zoro too?

Well, he was already on top of Zoro anyway.

"I can keep watch like this…" Sanji murmured. "I can see…the ocean…and All Blue…"

"What?" Zoro said in alarm. "Wait, let me up. Cook. I'm not your teddy bear. Get up. What the hell are you talking about?" Maybe Sanji was sick? _More reason not to have this idiot on top of me. If he's infectious, I'm going to kill him...I can't believe I just said 'teddy bear.'_

Roronoa Zoro would have to trim these cutesy words from his vocabulary somehow.

Sanji breathed in deeply, taking in the Eau de Zoro. He could hear the steady thumps of the swordsman's heart—the very same heart that had obstinately continued to beat even after facing Kuma—and sighed softly as he was enveloped in the warmth radiating off of Zoro's body. He pulled the tattered remnants of the blanket over them in a single, fluid motion.

Zoro rolled his eyes as he heard Sanji snoring gently from above him. It looked like he would have to keep watch tonight.

For some reason, he didn't mind staying up so much anymore.

"Cook, this stupid blanket is ripped in half. Let me get the other one."


End file.
